Going Mental returns!

How Do You Know When a Sociopath, Narcissist or Borderline Is Lying?

Their lips are moving.

The End.

That’s a facile and clichéd answer, but, more often than not, an accurate one.

Sociopaths, psychopaths, narcissists, borderlines and histrionics lie for many reasons. Self-preservation (e.g., to avoid jail or other unwanted natural consequences for their bad behavior), to manipulate or exploit others to get money, sympathy, power, attention, security, a relationship or whatever their current currency happens to be and/or to make themselves look good or more successful than they actually are. Sometimes, these individuals lie when the truth would serve them better or they lie simply because they’re bored.

. . . duping delight, the near irresistible thrill some people feel in taking a risk and getting away with it. Sometimes it includes contempt for the target who is being so ruthlessly and successfully exploited. It is hard to contain duping delight; those who feel it want to share their accomplishments with others, seeking admiration for their exploits.

. . . The presence of others witnessing the successful liar typically intensifies the delight experienced and increases the chances that some of the excitement, pleasure, and contempt will leak, thus betraying the liar.”

Clients describe this phenomenon in relation to the sociopaths, psychopaths, narcissists, borderlines et al in their lives and have witnessed it firsthand in some of my past personal relationships. In previous articles, I have referred to it as the Sociopathic Smirk. The smirk that says, “I just tricked you” or “I just pushed your buttons.” These individuals derive pleasure from both.

When you’re in a relationship, you not only have the experience in knowing the other person, you have certain motivations to see your partner in a particular way, and you especially don’t want to think that they are lying to you.”

If your partner is abusive and/or disordered, you have probably been gaslighted and told that every nasty or dishonest thing your partner does is your fault. “It’s your fault. Your face shouldn’t have gotten in the way of my fist.” “I wouldn’t have had to cheat if you were paying attention to me 24/7/365, even when I wasn’t paying attention to you.”

Once you have been groomed to doubt your perceptions and, literally, what you are seeing with your own two eyes, it adds to the difficulty of spotting their inconsistencies, contradictions and straight up lies. It makes it even more tough if you still care about or love your abuser. You don’t want to believe what you know is true — or false. However, your emotional, psychological and perhaps physical survival depends upon learning their “tells.” Even the most practiced pathological liars have tells.

Please join Paul Elam and Tara Palmatier when Going Mental returns at long last on Tuesday, February 3, 2015 at 9:30pm EST, 8:30pm CST and 6:30pm PST when we will discuss lie detection, duping delight and the psychology of lying and liars.